What better way to kick off the new year than with some life goals? Here are my 16 things I'll be doing in 2016.
1. Get married
That’s right...after getting engaged in September, I’m getting married in July! The venue is booked, the dress has been bought and our family and friends are as excited as we are. Obviously, not turning into Bridezilla is pretty important here as well.
 |
| January sale bargain! |
2. Be a good step-mum
Ste has been living with me for almost 18 months now and when he moved in, his two little ‘uns obviously came as part of the package. My spare room, which was once my office, has now transformed into a room for the step-kids and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Personally, I don’t see myself as maternal but being a good step-mum is easy and it’s all about the little things: giving the kids some of my time; putting hair into plaits; sitting around the dinner table for a hearty, healthy meal on their nights here; asking them how their day was and plenty of other, simple things. They all cost nothing but make the kids feel welcome when they’re here and that’s what matters the most to me.
3. Enjoy January (even the going back to work bit)
I’ve had two glorious weeks off work. I did the paperwork at the start of me break and then rammed it out of sight under the stairs until today, when it was time to dust it off and load it all into the boot of my car. Tomorrow is the dreaded back to work day and I’m already feeling blue about the prospect of it! Tomorrow means I go back to real worries and responsibilities- instead of thinking about what to wear or what colour blusher would be best for my wedding, I instead have to think about targets, numbers and real accountability. However, the anticipation is usually worse that the reality and by 10am tomorrow morning, all of the nerves and feeling blue about the end of the holidays will be long gone. Plus, until I win the lottery (when I will go back into retail and get a job on a Bobbi Brown make-up counter...ah the dreams!!) I won’t be changing my career any time soon and don’t feel the urge to either. 90% of the time, I love my job and just need to remember that today.
The fact it’s January always makes us a little blue anyway. No parties, no mulled wine and cosy nights in looking at the Christmas tree and definitely no presents. But who says the fun has to stop? We should make a real effort to make January more pleasant and that’s what I’m doing! I’m looking forward to the nights in where I get to binge on my entire box set of Sex and the City and enjoy some of that wine and chocolate I got for Christmas. I’m looking forward to my January weekends, date nights and gym work outs which all feel much more normal now that Christmas is over. Likewise, I’m also looking forward to a couple of nights out too with friends who I didn’t catch up with over the Christmas holidays. Before we know it, February will be here and that newness feeling of the new year will be over. Enjoy it whilst you can!
4. Read more
I love reading and in the holidays, I read at least one book. When I’m at work though, a book seems to take me forever to finish. If I want to read more, then I need to do something about it and make sure that some time is set aside each day to read a few pages before bed. We’d find the extra time to finish that work commitment or meet that crucial deadline, so why can’t we also make the time to do something we enjoy? Current read by the way is ‘Gone Girl’...I’m a little behind with the times when it comes to ‘must read’ books and only discovered The Hunger Games trilogy last year! Better late than never.
5. Develop my photography skills
I’m a little bit of a photographer on the sly. I’ve done a couple of courses and taken some seriously amazing snaps on my backpacking trips. I know my shutter speed from my aperture and ditch the auto mode when using my camera. Again though, photography for me is like reading- I do a lot of it and love every second, but then it gets shelved when work, chores and other things take over. No more excuses though! I bought myself a new Nikon D3200 before Christmas and then a 50mm lens to go with it, so it needs to be used. I do have a creative side that needs nurturing at times and for me, writing and photography are two things that scratch that itch. What I love about photography is that you do get instant gratification from it- you set up your camera, capture the moment and then get to see immediately what you have made on your playback screen. If you don’t like what you’ve produced, you adjust whatever is needed and take another picture...which will look even better when it’s been edited and tweaked! I’m very visual, which is probably why I love photography and Instagram so much.
 |
| One of my favourite pics taken on a 50mm fixed lens. |
6. Buy less, wear more
I love clothes and even more than clothes, make-up. I’d say as well that at long last, I’m pretty good at putting an outfit together and doing my make-up. I know what I like, what looks good together and what suits my style. I might go for dressed-down and casual or for something with a vintage/ retro/ 1950s or 1960s twist. I’m not afraid to wear jeans with my hair in a beehive or my boring work wear with a red lip and flicked eyeliner. In the past, I’ve strictly kept my wardrobe in 3 sections: work clothes, going out clothes, casual clothes. It’s the same with make-up: going out/weekend make-up and everyday make-up. Now I don’t care as much. If I want to rock my black biker jacket with a fabulous scarf to work, I will. If I’m going out to the shops and want to wear a casual dress, I will. If I want to wear my expensive Illamasqua lippy in ‘Soaked’ on a Monday- I will. So in 2016, I want to buy less make-up and clothes and rock the things that I have got more often, whatever the occasion!
7. Exercise
I’m pretty good at this one. I like to run and do 3-4 5K runs a week. I like how I feel after it, how for that thirty minutes of running, you forget about everything else and feel like a new woman (mentally and physically at the end of it). I’m a gym bunny too and will always do some weights and other exercises when my run is done. My belief is that if I eat well and exercise (without over doing it either) that my body will be the size and shape that it should be with a healthy heart and everything doing what it should.
8. Continue to eat well
In 2014, I started with the whole eat clean trend, but within reason. I cut out all white carbs and replaced then with whole wheat alternatives and also cut out white refined sugar, opting for natural sugars instead. I eat carbs for breakfast and then plenty of protein and veggies for lunch and dinner, along with fruit and nuts for snacks. I even own a spiralizer! The result? I’m at my happy weight and feel fabulous. I’m lactose intolerant too and really need to keep an eye on this in 2016 that I don’t accidentally gobble too much of the stuff. Plenty of recipes HERE on my old blog if you’re aiming to eat clean and go refined-sugar free in 2016.
9. Realise it’s ok to pack up early
My Tuesdays are crazy. I have a late finish at work and Tuesday is also gym day after I’ve battled through the traffic to get there. By the time we’ve eaten dinner, I’m completely knackered and can’t face finishing off paperwork. It therefore stays in my work bag until the next day and though I do have some guilty niggles about it sitting there rather than being tackled, I know that it’s OK TO HAVE A REST AND SWITCH OFF! 2016 will be the year where I choose to work over some weekends, and choose to fully recharge my batteries on others. It’s okay to pack up early sometimes and I need to remember that a little more often.
10. Set time limits (for dull jobs and social media)
Paperwork, reports, number crunching, cleaning the bathroom... Dull jobs which I know are essential and sometimes worthwhile, but seem to eat into a lot of my time and make me despair. When it comes to completing dull jobs, I’ll be setting myself a time limit to complete it in. Instead of spending hours on a document for work, I’ll allocate an hour to make sure it’s done and giving myself a time frame will also make me more focused and productive too. When it comes to checking Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, I’ll do the same just to make sure that social media isn’t eating into too much of my day along with the dull chores!
11. Keep my Q&A journal
This journal was a Christmas gift all the way from NYC and it delights and terrifies me in equal measures. What might happen over the course of 5 years? How will my opinions change on things? This journal asks a question each day and there’s space for you to answer the question for the next 5 years. Should be interesting!
12. Wake up early
I do this every day in the week and I’m not going to deny myself the extra sleep when needed. For me, waking up early means I am much more productive- even if that means staying in bed until 9am reading or something! I would much rather be awake and relaxing rather than just snoozing my weekend away.
13. Mind my money
Same goal every year and I am a good saver. With the wedding coming up, I might have to bypass the Bobbi Brown counter a little more often though! Saying that, whilst it is important to save, it’s also important to enjoy the money you’ve worked hard for.
14. Keep learning
I’m currently doing another photography course and plan on sticking with it as well as putting my skills into practice. Good stimulation for the brain and when you get courses at a brilliant price from Wowcher, why not try them?
15. Remember my ‘F**k it’ mantra
This book changed my life and I need to keep up the ‘F**k It’ way more often. I want to say it plenty of times in 2016!
16. Always be kind
Whether it’s people on the street, colleagues, friends or family, being sympathetic and kind costs nothing and I always strive to treat people well. It’s easy to forget this though and I can sometimes be as impatient or as snappy as the next person after a bad day. I think being kind is always important, even when you’re having a bad day yourself.
No comments:
Post a Comment